News

With Halloween almost here, the Long Beach Press-Telegram is again launching its Scary Stories contest for Long Beach area youth. Winning entries – both stories and artwork – will be published in the Press-Telegram on Halloween. The rules are the same as last year. There will be three age categories for stories and drawings: elementary school (K-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12).

Here are the rules:

• The deadline is Monday, Oct. 15.

• All entries must be emailed, with the entrant’s name and grade, and the subject line “Scary Stories,” to: ptnews@presstelegram. Stories can be submitted in the body of the email, or as a Word attachment; drawings should be submitted in JPEG format, no larger than 5MB in size.

• Stories must be no longer than 650 words.

• Artwork must be original (no tracings).

• Entries will be judged based on imagination, creativity and theme.

• The winning entries will be published in the Press-Telegram on Oct. 31, and posted online at www.presstelegram.com/.

If you have any questions, e-mail Press-Telegram City Editor Susan Jacobs at sjacobs@scng.com or call 310-543-6110. Local teachers – current and retired – the Press-Telegram needs your help. If you have interest in being a judge, please let them know.

more

Posted by: Public Information Office, District Admin, Long Beach Unified School District

The school district has been informed of an extensive Southern California Edison electrical outage that will take place tonight affecting the main Administration Building at 1515 Hughes Way. This power outage will interrupt all computer and Internet access districtwide on Tuesday, May 22. While power will be restored by the early morning, we anticipate all computer services will be unavailable until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22.

more

Posted by: Superintendent Steinhauser, District Admin, Long Beach Unified School District

Over the past several weeks, we have shared with you some highlights of our Local Control and Accountability Plan. Today, we’re providing two draft sections of our full LCAP: “Plan Summary” and “Stakeholder Engagement.” They are available at:

As we’ve seen in recent weeks, our schools are not immune to the potential threats that so many other schools nationwide have been dealing with. We appreciate your heightened awareness of this issue, and we continue to encourage everyone in our school communities to report any suspicious information or activity that could impact school safety.

Threats to our schools are not harmless, and they are not funny. They take valuable resources and time from our school district and the law enforcement agencies who work with us each day to keep our schools safe. Threats cause anxiety for parents, students and staff, and they can disrupt the important work of teaching and learning. Students who make threats face consequences that linger long after the threat is made. We reiterate the Long Beach Police Department’s recent statement about such threats:

“The Long Beach Police Department takes all potential threats of violence very seriously and thoroughly investigates all reported incidents,” Chief Robert Luna said. “Making any kind of threat whether in person or online, is illegal and has serious consequences.”

Those consequences, as we also have seen in recent weeks, can include suspension, expulsion, arrest and potential prosecution under the law. Students who make threats, even as a “joke,” can quickly find themselves facing the entire range of these consequences.

We urge parents to discuss this matter with their children. In light of the senseless loss of lives in recent school shootings nationally, it is completely inappropriate and unacceptable to make threats, even as a “joke.”

We have appreciated everyone’s support during this challenging time. Again, we continue to encourage students, parents and staff to immediately report any information that could impact the safety of others. With your help, we can continue to provide safe schools and the best possible education for our students.

Participants will view and discuss the award-winning film, "Screenagers," which probes into the vulnerable corners of family life and the messy struggles over things like social media, cyber bullying, video games and academics.

The deadline for current fifth grade families to apply for school of choice for sixth grade is 11:59pm, tonight. Late applicants will be considered after all on time applicants have received notice. If you need assistance, please call the Middle School Choice Helpline at (562)997-8159. We will be in the office until 4:30pm, today.

more

Posted by: Jenni Brown, District Admin, Long Beach Unified School District

The MS/K-8 Choice Office is aware that there is an error in the program that is locking some students out of selecting electives for each of their choices, and that this is preventing them from completing the application.

Our programming team is working on the issue and we will let you know when it is repaired.

The School of Choice application for sixth grade is not decided on a first come, first served basis. Every family that certifies and completes the application by the deadline will be considered on-time.

Thank you for your patience,

Team MS/K-8 Choice

more

Posted by: Jenni Brown, District Admin, Long Beach Unified School District